Loneliness Banished
by Lastande Sarie
Summary: ONESHOT. Lisbon feels particularly lonely one night after work.  Jane might be the only one who can help her work through it, but can she bring herself to let him?


_This is for my dear friend EleventhFlamesMagic._

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my own imagination. Duh.

Another case closed. Another day over. Both had taken their toll.

Lisbon sat in Bosco's old office. She couldn't think of it as anyone else's, not yet. Maybe she should, since it had been three months since he'd been killed. But she suspected it would always be Bosco's office to her. She lifted the shot glass in a silent salute to the man who used to sit behind the desk and downed the contents. Tequila, of course. She wouldn't toast Bosco with anything else.

Just one drink tonight. It was already late, anyway, and she needed to get home and get some rest. She stood and left the room, reaching out of habit to flick the light switch that was already off. Hand on the doorknob, she glanced around the room again, moonlight bathing the room in a soft glow. With a sigh, Lisbon pulled the door closed silently behind her.

She walked through the quiet hallway to the squad room, where her team put in long hours and hard work. It was quiet and empty now. She set her shot glass on Van Pelt's desk and sighed, bowing her head in exhaustion.

A moment later, her head shot up and she spun around, hand reaching instinctively for the gun at her side. The room wasn't empty, after all. Someone else was there. Eyes wide, heart racing, Lisbon scanned the room, taking stock. She relaxed when she saw Jane lying on his couch – the couch that had been there for years before he had come to work as a consultant for the CBI, but had almost immediately become known as his. Lisbon shook her head with a wry grin. Sleeping at work again. She didn't blame him, though. She wouldn't want to be alone at home after what he'd been through.

She walked over to the couch and looked down at him. He breathed evenly, one arm tucked behind his head, the other draped across his stomach, head turned slightly away from the back of the couch. He was childlike when awake, but asleep he was even more so. As much as he irritated her, her heart went out to him. He hadn't had an easy life, and what he did now wasn't easy either.

"Oh, Patrick," she sighed, eyes filling with rare tears. Tears for him, for herself, for everything. She couldn't even really explain to herself what the tears were for. She pulled the blanket off the back of the couch, unfolded it, and draped it carefully over him. She brushed a curl off his forehead and blinked away her tears with a tiny smile. "Sleep well," she whispered. Silently, she turned to leave. She'd only taken a couple of steps when Jane's voice made her freeze.

"Teresa," he mumbled.

She hesitated. She couldn't remember him calling her Teresa before. He sounded like he was still at least mostly asleep. If she just left, he probably wouldn't even know the difference. She took another step but he said her name again, a little louder this time.

Sighing, Lisbon slowly face him. "I'm sorry, Jane, I didn't mean—" She stared in surprise. He was standing behind her, about a foot away. She took a step backward, away from him. "Jane, you scared me," she laughed nervously.

"I'm sorry, Lisbon. I thought maybe you needed something." He was studying her with an abnormally serious expression. His hair was rumpled, the top few buttons on his shirt undone. "Are you okay?"

Lisbon blinked and looked away with a little shrug. "Yeah, fine. Of course. Why?"

"You're here later than usual." Jane tilted his head to the side. "And you seem…sad." He held up a hand, scrutinizing her. "No…lonely."

"I'm fine, just tired. I was just about to go home." She nodded toward the couch behind him. "I'm sorry I woke you, I didn't mean to. Just wanted to make sure you were warm enough." She cleared her throat and took another step back, unnerved by Jane's scrutiny, although it had never bothered her this much before.

"Thank you, Lisbon. I'm touched."

"Yes, well." She glanced to the side, trying to figure out how to make her escape. She wasn't used to feeling awkward and she didn't like it. She pursed her lips and shrugged her shoulders. "I guess I'll see you in the morning. Sleep well."

"I know what you're thinking."

Lisbon rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Oh, please, Jane. Don't start with that psychic thing right now. I've had a long day. Don't mess with me."

"I'm not messing with you. I really do know what you're thinking." A hint of a smile appeared on his face, but it was a sad smile that didn't reach his eyes. He slid his hands into his pants pockets and didn't say anything else.

Frowning slightly, Lisbon lifted her chin. "Okay, then, this will be rich – what am I thinking, and how do you know?"

"You're thinking…" Jane paused, taking a step forward. Lisbon blinked and almost took a step back, but didn't want to seem like she was backing down. So she stood her ground and lifted her chin a little bit higher. A knowing smile came to Jane's face and he continued speaking. "You're thinking that you're tired of being alone at the end of a long day. You don't want to go to your empty home after a hard case." He took another step forward so he was directly in front of her.

"I—I…I…" Lisbon stuttered, opening and closing her mouth, knowing in the back of her mind that she probably looked like a fish. Her gaze flitted around the room, looking anywhere but at him. "I don't…" She couldn't think of anything to say. There was no way she was going to admit that he'd hit the nail on the head, but she was so floored that she couldn't think of anything to say. She blinked fast, hoping to hold back the tears pricking the backs of her eyes. She finally managed to choke out, "I told you not to mess with me."

"And I told you, I'm not," Jane whispered. Lisbon looked up to see that he was all seriousness now. "I'm not being psychic or using any special abilities. I just know you well."

This was too much. She shouldn't have stayed late. She had not expected this at all. She was trying to push her thoughts away, not dig them out and share them with Jane. One tear spilled from under Lisbon's left eyelid. All her breath left her lungs when Jane reached up to gently wipe the tear away with his thumb. Her eyes flew to his face and she couldn't speak. He had such a look of intensity on his face. He looked so vulnerable.

"You shut yourself away and act so tough, but it's all just an act." He put his hands on her upper arms and shook his head. "It wears you out. You get tired of it. It's hard work."

More tears. Lisbon hated feeling this weak. She was scared to let down her guard – but at the same time she had never wanted anything more. She bit her bottom lip, trying to get a hold of herself. Jane was rubbing her arms with his thumbs. She had to think of something, anything to say. "What about you?" was the first thing she thought of. She hated that her voice shook, but she pressed on. "You say all those things about me, but they're true about you."

Jane didn't say anything for a few seconds, and finally inclined his head. "Perhaps." He was looking at her very closely now, staring into her eyes. "Maybe that's why I can see how much pain you're in."

Lisbon gaped up at him. The pain that he spoke of was real, but it was real for him, too. She could see it in his eyes in this unguarded moment. Words wouldn't come. She didn't know what to say that would ease the pain. For what could he say that would ease hers? But she couldn't just do nothing. Slowly, she lifted her right hand to cup his cheek. He closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. She gently caressed his cheek and tried to blink her tears away.

"Teresa," Jane whispered so quietly she almost didn't hear. Without opening his eyes, he slid his hands up to her neck, slowly pulling her closer. She watched him lean down and closed her own eyes just before he pressed his lips softly against hers.

She slid her arms around his neck and leaned against him. She may have been sad and lonely a moment ago, but that feeling was gone now. In fact, she almost couldn't even remember what it had felt like.


End file.
